Opportunity to celebrate two special types of people

This month brings with it the opportunity to celebrate two special types of people: mothers and teachers; each plays a vital role in all of our lives. I would not be the man I am today were it not for my mother, four other “mothers” in my life and a very special teacher.

My sister Beverly Ingram and I have always enjoyed a healthy dose of sibling rivalry so when she was the first person in our family to graduate from college it only further fueled my determination to obtain a higher education. Beverly attended the University of Detroit (now the University of Detroit Mercy) and currently serves as a Deputy Commissioner at the Chicago Water Department. She has worked also as a police officer in the City of Detroit and served on the staff of former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. Beverly’s steely determination and no-nonsense disposition to handling responsibilities and challenges affirmed for me early on what it meant to have confidence in my God-given abilities to simply “do what I have to do.” She is a great mother to my nieces and nephew and continues to play an important role in my life.

While Beverly may have been the tough-skinned female influence in my life growing up, my grandmothers were walking incarnations of sweet Southern spirit and hospitality. Luvenia, my mother’s mother, hailed from South Carolina. Grace, my father’s mother, was from Alabama. Both women held a deep respect for education, which was passed down to my parents, especially my mother. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Willie Mae Smith who took me into her already overcrowded home so that I could finish my high school education uninterrupted when I was facing difficult challenges at home.

These “mothers” were my first teachers. Just as every mother is to their child. Education doesn’t take place in a vacuum. It’s not confined to a school house with a teacher and classroom. A good parent is the best teacher any child will ever have. And as I celebrate Mothers Day this year, I know I am blessed to have had so many positive influences in my life.

May also spotlights teachers as the first week of the month is designated as National Teachers Appreciation Week. We have many outstanding teachers in our district. Teachers leave impressions upon students that last a lifetime. I know this to be true because I think of Mr. Blount, my seventh and eighth grade English teacher, almost daily. Mr. Blount was another no-nonsense influence in my life, who literally, kept me from walking out on school.

It was the morning of my first day of eighth grade and I was standing in the hallway, just about to take a turn and head for the exit. Mr. Blount put his hand on my shoulder and led me into his classroom. He took an interest in my learning and pushed me to do my best. In doing that, he was teaching me to believe in myself; to try every day to be better than I was the day before. It’s a credo that I recite to myself every morning – even until this day. As a young boy growing up, the influence of this male teacher helped changed the direction of my life and I hope that more men consider becoming teachers because there are plenty other young boys like me who need them.

Every day, teachers in our district are making differences like the one Mr. Blount made in my life. Teachers, you may not even realize it. Students, you may not recognize it until years later. But as we celebrate teachers this month, I urge each of you to think of one that has influenced your life in some positive way.

This month we show our appreciation and respect for teachers and mothers because their work is paving the way for the future. So today, take time to pay special attention the women or teachers who may have helped shape your journey.

Alan J. Ingram is superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools; you can learn more about the programs of the Springfield Public Schools online at www.sps.springfield.ma.us